Latest / Commentary - TJ Meadows / Legislators Appear to Have a Deal on Hope Scholarship

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Legislators Appear to Have a Deal on Hope Scholarship · Commentary - TJ Meadows

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  Speaker 1: Trustworthy. Sources close to the legislative process say a deal
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  Speaker 1: may now be in place on the House Finance originated
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  Speaker 1: bill dealing with the Hope Scholarship. As it stands now,
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  Speaker 1: there would be no substantive changes to the Hope Scholarship
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  Speaker 1: for the upcoming program year. Families would keep current eligibility rules,
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  Speaker 1: and students would receive the funding already promised. The only
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  Speaker 1: adjustment would be administrative shifting payments from two annual distributions
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  Speaker 1: to four quarterly installments to smooth cash flow for the state.
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  Speaker 1: By legislative standards, That looks like a classic compromise. Hope
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  Speaker 1: Scholarship families avoid last minute rule changes that create uncertainty
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  Speaker 1: just months before a school year begins. Quarterly payments may
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  Speaker 1: be slightly less convenient for some households, but they are
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  Speaker 1: unlikely to create meaningful hardship. At the same time, lawmakers
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  Speaker 1: concerned about enrollment growth more so, the financial obligations that
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  Speaker 1: follow secured something important to their fiscal concerns are now
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  Speaker 1: formerly part of the record. With another year of participating
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  Speaker 1: data ahead, legislators will revisit the issue next session, armed
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  Speaker 1: with clearer projections rather than speculation. One phrase echoed through
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  Speaker 1: the Capitol this week, wait until we have better numbers.
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  Speaker 1: This agreement does exactly that, But the Hope Scholarship debate
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  Speaker 1: also served another purpose. The originating bill appears to have
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  Speaker 1: become leverage in broader budget negotiations quietly unfolding between House
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  Speaker 1: and Senate leadership. By raising the possibility of program restrictions,
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  Speaker 1: House leaders created political space for Senate members to prioritize
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  Speaker 1: protecting Hope over the governor's proposed ten percent personal income
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  Speaker 1: tax reduction. Fiscal conservatives skeptical of that tax gained ground,
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  Speaker 1: as well. Medicaid and most Hope scholarship spending are now
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  Speaker 1: positioned to be funded with general revenue dollars reasonably expected
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  Speaker 1: to materialize instead of surplus revenue that may or may
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  Speaker 1: not appear. Combined with leaving some general revenue unallocated, the
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  Speaker 1: House approach reflects a more fiscal posture. Responsible budgeting means
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  Speaker 1: not spending every available dollar and leaving room for uncertainty
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  Speaker 1: policy aside. However, the process itself draws attention. During Wednesday's
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  Speaker 1: floor discussion, House Finance Chairman Vernon Chris noted that while
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  Speaker 1: Governor Patrick Morrissey appeared in his Committee during Hope scholarship debate.
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  Speaker 1: That's unusual for a governor. He has not met directly
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  Speaker 1: with House Finance leadership about the budget itself. Personal chemistry
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  Speaker 1: isn't required to govern. Communication is. The lack of direct
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  Speaker 1: outreach has puzzled lawmakers and raised questions yet again about
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  Speaker 1: relationship building inside the capitol. One legislator privately said, if
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  Speaker 1: I were governor, I'd be working the building every day
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  Speaker 1: to secure buy in. This governor doesn't do that. The
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  Speaker 1: expectation now is that lawmakers will pass a budget early
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  Speaker 1: enough to allow time for overrides of any line item vetos,
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  Speaker 1: and with Republican primaries approaching, the politics surrounding this budget
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  Speaker 1: fight will likely find their way into the campaign season
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  Speaker 1: as well.